Christianity's Credentials.

Have you heard the statements the proof is in the pudding, and that you can judge a tree by the fruit it bears?  I think there is truth within those statements.  So how does Christianity and the church stack up?  Many Christians are quick to dismiss the church, but it is supposed to be the manifestation of Jesus on earth.  It is supposed to be Jesus' body.  If it is, Jesus sure has some disabilities because Christianity's credentials just don't stack up.

ORGANISATIONALLY.

I'm not really qualified to speak about other countries, but I do know that according to the published "National Church Life Survey" that the Christian church is in decline and has been for many years.  I don't think the figures regarding Islam and Buddhism are entirely relevant because their rapid growth has been mainly because of immigration.  So why do church pastors speak about the wonderful growth in the church in Australia.  Well certain denominations are growing but that is due simply to the swappers, hoppers and shoppers.  More modern and vibrant churches are growing at the expense of the old fashioned traditional ones.  But even then these churches do get to what may be described as a critical mass.  In other words they reach a point at where they stagnate.

So organisationally it seems as though the Christian religion is failing.  Those who claim that the church is growing in Australia are lying in the face of solid statistical evidence.

PERSONALLY.

At a personal level I hear reports of changed lives, renewed marriages, adolescents turned from a life of destruction to the narrow road of Christianity.  I have known many people who fit these categories and have been changed.  However, this is only half the story.  Even though there are many people who remain faithful to the cause, there are huge numbers of people who find that it just doesn't work.  I can personally testify of the pain, suffering and disruptive elements of the Christian way.  I've seen numerous pastors torn apart by their own congregations, congregations torn apart from pastors who don't care and marriages fail because of unrealistic expectations.  It is unfair to single out Christian's lives from non-Christians because their lives show no more good fruit than non-Christians.

At a personal level people do change.  This change happens in spite of a Christian lifestyle.  In other words it is not just Christianity that assists an alcoholic to get off the wagon because many non religious people lead successful lives after being cured of their habit.  The Christian alcoholic is just as prone to getting back on the wagon as the non-Christian.

SOCIETAL.

On a societal level Christianity has contributed with many valuable organisations.  They have begun the school system, provided many charitable and welfare orientated organisations which have been needed in Australia and throughout the world.  World Vision who I am a big supporter of, is also a Christian based organisation who many people throughout the world are deeply indebted to.  I applaud these organisations because they are about doing what is important, not just talking about it.  Unfortunately, I know too many Christians who denounce these organisations for the charitable work they perform.  Instead they believe the word of God should be sown before food is given.  For them Christian doctrine in the form of the gospel (good news) is more important that food, water or medicine.  Sad isn't it?

However, there is a dark side that extends beyond this.  Sadly, too many Christians applaud and support the wars of the globe, choosing to believe that we have to make war to find peace.  What can I say?  It seems you can judge a tree by its fruit.  What sort of credentials are these?

EVIDENCE.

There are many books devoted to the subject of apologetics (reason for faith).  Many of these books claim scientific and historical proof for the religions they espouse.  Mind you, this is not unique in world religions.  The evidence given by Christian apologists could be likened to the television program Brainiac.  In other words apologetics is to Christianity what Brainiac is to science.  The program "Brainiac" on channel 10 is an entertainment program giving anecdotal evidence (unreliable evidence based on uncontrolled experiments) under the guise of scientific testing.  The show is not meant to be a scientific program, however many viewers are probably lured into thinking it is.  The experiments are purely entertainment based and have little to do with scientific analysis.  

If you are going to claim scientific evidence to bolster the Christian faith there is very little science involved, if any.  If you think there is some scientific information, I am happy for you to share it with me and I will explain myself further.

In the same way the reasons and proofs for Christianity, the Bible and the existence of miracles are far from being scientific.  I am the first to agree that science is not everything, although it does form a basis for testing the reliability of many so called facts.  

So in conclusion, if someone states there is solid scientific evidence to prove one or more of Christianity's claims, they don't know what they are talking about.  If you investigate the topics of History, The Bible or even Prophecy I have some examples of presumptions and assumptions that are often passed off as scientific.  Once more the bold claims of Christianity are left with very little in its credentials. 

If you are going to make bold claims, as Christianity does, then be prepared to back those claims with equally bold evidence.  Unfortunately, I am yet to see anyone who can match those claims.

If you disagree or agree I would love to hear what you have to say.